Dispenser for plastic strapping



Dec. 21, 1965 R. c. NASH DISPENSER FOR PLASTIC STRAPPING Filed Sept. 23, 1963 INVENTOR.

RALPH C. NASH ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,224,705 DIFJPENSER FOR PLASTIC STRAPPING Ralph C. Nash, 61 Manchester St, Nashua, N.H. Filed Sept. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 310,572 3 Claims. (Cl. 242-105) The present invention relates to devices for use in providing plastic strapping with a lengthwise deformation to so stiffen it as to make it easier to handle.

Metal strapping had the objectionable feature that, when applied to bundles, it would frequently work loose due, for example, to shrinkage of the bundled articles. Plastic strapping has sufficient lengthwise elasticity to enable it to be tensioned, when applied, thus to remain taut under conditions where metal strapping would become loose. Plastic strapping, however, has the disadvantageous feature that it tends to curl and is so flexible that, in lengths of several feet, it is difficult to feed under and over articles that are to be bundled together.

The principal objectives of the present invention is to make it possible to draw plastic strapping from a reel and, in so doing, provide it with a lengthwise, stiffening deformation that eliminates the curling problem and so increases the stiffness of the strapping as to facilitate bundling operations.

In accordance with the invention, this objective is attained by providing a dispenser for resilient, plastic strapping that includes a throat for the strapping, the cross sectional size and shape of the throat being a close approximation of the cross sectional size and shape of the strapping. While such a throat enables the strapping to be readily pulled through it, it also functions as a guide holding the strapping against any appreciable sidewise movement. Adjacent the outfeed end of the throat, there is a pair of rolls, one roll having a peripheral channel and the other roll having a channel entering peripheral crest. The two rolls coact to impart a lengthwise stiffening deformation to the strapping passing between them and they are so spaced relative to the throat as to receive and engage the strapping while still influenced by the throat against sidewise movement.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention from which these and other of its objectives, novel features, and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser attached to a reel of strapping,

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view, on an increased scale of the dispenser,

FIGURE 3 is a front view of the dispenser,

FIGURE 4 is a section taken along the indicated lines 44 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 5 is an elevation of the throat as seen from its outfeed end,

FIGURE 6 is a somewhat schematic View illustrating the open position of the rolls, and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view of the strapping before and after having been pulled through the device.

In FIGURE 1, there is shown a reel 10 of resilient, plastic strapping 11. The reel 10 is rotatably supported by a frame 12 provided with a pair of wheels 13 with one end constituting a generally indicated stand 14 and the other end constituting a generally indicated handle 15.

A rod 16 is bolted, see FIGURE 3, to the frame 12 as at 17 and extends transversely of the reel 10 to serve to pivotally support a hanger 18 supporting a shaft 19 provided with rolls 20 engaging the periphery of the reel walls and serving to brake the rotation of the reel as the strapping 11 is pulled therefrom over a tape engaging pressure roll 21 rotatably mounted on a transverse pin 22 loosely 3,224,705 Patented Dec. 21, 1965 'ice confined in bores 23 at the free end of the hanger 18.

The pin 22 is yieldably backed by springs 24 anchored in a pin 25.

In accordance with the invention, the rod 16 also serves to pivotally support a pair of side walls 26 which have rolls 27 and 28. The rolls 27 and 28 are located forwardly of a member 29 having a throat 30 whose cross sectional size and shape is that of the strapping 11 with the clearance being within a few thousandths of an inch. In practice the maximum clearance is in the neighborhood of .15 thousandths of an inch. The roll 27 has a V-shaped, peripheral groove 27A and is mounted on a stud 31 extending through vertical slots 32 in the walls 26 and locked in place by means of the locking screws 33 threaded in the ends of the stud 31. The roll 28 has an annular crest 28A dimensioned for entry within the groove 27A and is mounted on a stud 34 carried by a yoke 35 provided with studs 36 rotatably supported by the walls 26 with their axes parallel to but below the axis of the roll 28 so that when the handle 37 on one of the studs 36 is swung forwardly away from the stop 38, the roll 28 is swung away from the roll 27 to enable the strapping 11 to pass freely between the rolls 27 and 28. When the handle 37 is seated against its stop 38, the rolls 27 and 28 are in their operative position with their spacing being adjustable by adjusting the position of the roll 27 along the slots 32.

A spring 39, coiled about the rod 16 and backed by the frame 12, engages one of the walls 26 and yieldably seats them against the hanger 18 and, in addition, applies braking pressure against the reel 10.

Strapping 11 from the reel 10 passes through the throat 30 and between the rolls 27 and 28. As strapping is pulled from the reel 10, it is provided with a lengthwise deformation shown, in FIGURE 7, as a fold line 11A which so stiffens it as to prevent objectionable curling and to enable it to be slid under or over articles to be bundled even when considerably more than enough strapping has been pulled "from the reel for use with any particular bundle.

It is essential that the rolls 27 and 28 be located closely adjacent the outfeed end of the throat 30 so that the rolls will engage the strapping 11 while it is still held by the throat 30 against any appreciable sidewise movement for such movement would result in the strapping 11 moving laterally and out of engagement with the rolls 27 and 28 as it was pulled from the reel 10.

While the opening of the rolls 27 and 28 is of convenience in introducing the strapping 11 between them, this feature is desirable in the event strapping pulled from the reel 10 is to be wound back thereon. In that case, the rolls 27 and 28 are opened and the reel 10 is turned to pull the strapping back through the throat 30 and, in so doing, the strapping 11 is rendered substantially flat.

While the distance between the bite of the rolls and the throat depends somewhat on the clearance provided by the throat 30 and the particular strapping used, the less the distance therebetween, the better and in practice, this distance does not exceed two inches.

I claim:

1. In a dispenser for resilient, plastic strapping in reel form, a support rotatably supporting a reel to enable the strapping to be pulled therefrom, and a device through which the strapping is threaded and by which the strap ping is provided, as it is manually pulled from the dispenser, with a lengthwise deformation in the form of a stiffening channel, said device including infeed guide means through which the strapping passes and by which it is closely confined and an outfeed pair of idler rolls disposed with the roll axes parallel to the plane of the strapping established by said guide means and with said plane passing between them, said axes also being in a plane at right angles to said plane of the strapping, one

roll having a peripheral channel and the other roll having a channel-entering, peripheral crest, the strapping passing between said rolls and said rolls coacting to effect said deformation, said rolls being spaced relative to the outfeed end of said guide means to receive between them and engage said strapping while still influenced thereby against misalining movements of said strapping attendant its being pulled from said reel, said device being pivotably connected to said support for movement relative thereto between an operative dispensing position and an open position in which the infeed end of said guide means is exposed to enable strapping to be fed therethrough and means attaching one of said rolls to said device for movement relative to the other of said rolls between a dispensing position in which said rolls coact and a second position in which the spacing between the rolls is such as to permit the free passage, during threading, of the strapping between the rolls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,410,420 11/1946 Bennett. 2,457,319 12/1948 Rackett 22688 X 2,793,856 5/1957 Nixon 226-184 X 2,833,489 5/1958 Hall 242105 X MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, Examiner. 

1. IN A DISPENSER FOR RESILIENT, PLASTIC STRAPPING IN REEL FORM, A SUPPORT ROTATABLY SUPPORTING A REEL TO ENABLE THE STRAPPING TO BE PULLED THEREFROM, AND A DEVICE THROUGH WHICH THE STRAPPING IS THREADED AND BY WHICH THE STRAPPING IS PROVIDED, AS IT IS MANUALLY PULLED FROM THE DISPENSER, WITH A LENGTHWISE DEFORMATION IN THE FORM OF A STIFFENING CHANNEL, SAID DEVICE INCLUDING INFEED GUIDE MEANS THROUGH WHICH THE STRAPPING PASSES AND BY WHICH IT IS CLOSELY CONFINED AND AN OUTFEED PAIR OF IDLER ROLLS DISPOSED WITH THE ROLL AXES PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF THE STRAPPING ESTABLISHED BY SAID GUIDE MEANS AND WITH SAID PLANE PASSING BETWEEN THEM, SAID AXES ALSO BEING IN A PLANE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID PLANE OF THE STRAPPING, ONE ROLL HAVING A PERIPHERAL CHANNEL AND THE OTHER ROLL HAVING A CHANNEL-ENTERING, PERIPHERAL CREST, THE STRAPPING PASSING BETWEEN SAID ROLLS AND SAID ROLLS COACTING TO EFFECT SAID DEFORMATION, SAID ROLLS BEING SPACED RELATIVE TO THE OUTFEED END OF SAID GUIDE MEANS TO RECEIVE BETWEEN THEM AND ENGAGE SAID STRAPPING WHILE STILL INFLUENCED THEREBY AGAINST MISALINING MOVEMENTS OF SAID STRAPPING ATTENDANT ITS BEING PULLED FROM SAID REEL, SAID DEVICE BEING PIVOTABLY CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE DISPENSING POSITION AND AN OPEN POSITION IN WHICH THE INFEED END OF SAID GUIDE MEANS IS EXPOSED TO ENABLE STRAPPING TO BE FED THERETHROUGH AND MEANS ATTACHING ONE OF SAID ROLLS TO SAID DEVICE FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE OTHER OF SAID ROLLS BETWEEN A DISPENSING POSITION IN WHICH SAID ROLLS COACT AND A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH THE SPACING BETWEEN THE ROLLS IS SUCH AS TO PERMIT THE FREE PASSAGE, DURING THREADING, OF THE STRAPPING BETWEEN THE ROLLS. 